


We've Got You

by Mimsys



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Body horror tw, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 02:17:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4901752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimsys/pseuds/Mimsys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mist freezes when it gets too cold, and Jack isn't good at tag</p>
            </blockquote>





	We've Got You

Natt and Pitch feel the frisson of fear at the same time: dull, tempered by distance, and with the bittersweet edge that come from feeding off of a loved one. Willow had been gone for a few hours - which was nothing new. Ever since the Man in the Moon had made it easier for Willow to wander as a reward (so they all thought, muttered in dark whispers but never to Willow’s face) for easing the tensions between Pitch and the Guardians, the wisp had been exploring the forests around Pitch’s home. She even visited the Guardians on occasion, something that Pitch despised on principle and Natt cautioned against when Sandy wasn’t there. She might be with them now, but they had no way of knowing, not with her so distant. The fear faded too soon for the two to do more than look up sharply before it faded. She could be hurt; fear faded when the subject was unconscious - or worse.

“Split up or stick together?” Natt asked, rising to his feet and already formulating a battle plan, thoughts racing. He would check her cove first, ask the trees if they had seen her. Maybe he’d swing by the stables to see if she’d taken Phobos but nightmare or not, she could have traveled far in the few hours she’d been gone.

Pitch shook his head as he made his way over to the nearest window, lifting his head to look where the Aurora Borealis split the night. “We know the Guardians were meeting tonight; that alone is reason to believe that Willow snuck in for cookies and eggnog from the elves at some point in the evening, or that she was planning to; even if she’s not there now, they would have seen her.” His expression grew tight. “And if they are already gathered, who would they be signalling?”

“Us?” Natt asked, following after Pitch and letting out a soft, pleased little gasp that he would never admit to around the Guardians - maybe Sandy, if only because he couldn’t poke fun. His expression sobered a moment later. “I’ll fetch nightmares.” They were in the sky within minutes, an uneasy tension only worsening as they amplified each other’s fears. The Aurora was used to signal emergencies; what had been so bad that they’d used it to call Pitch and Natt of all people?

Natt jumped off Phobos before they even touched ground, his booted feet sinking into the snow as he ran from the front of the Workshop through the great double doors. He expected fighting, cursing, bleeding Guardians and his own Willow fighting beside them. He didn’t expect to see the wisp curled up on the couch and shaking in the arms of the two Guardians he and Pitch liked least: Bunnymund and North.

Her silver dress and pale skin were nearly blue from the frost sparkling on their surfaces, and Sandy was floating above her head, sprinkling dreamsand on her form to soothe her and ease her to sleep while the others worked to fix her. When Sandy looked up to see the newcomers, he floated down to shift between them and Jack, who looked even more frightened than the large Russian currently holding a trembling wisp to his chest. Natt was more stunned than anything, but Pitch had already moved on to furious.

“Release my ward at once.” He snapped, striding over to the couch and giving the two Guardians there a fierce glare. “If she is unwell, we will tend to her.”

“She’ll turn into a block of ice the moment you step outside into the wind, you drongo!” Aster interrupted, ears twitching anxiously against the top of his head. “Are you trying to kill her?”

Pitch reached out one bony hand, fully intending to pull Willow from their grasp, when he saw that she had done more than merely frozen enough to make moving around painful. No, her skin and dress flaked and split against her every time she shifted - which was a problem when she was shaking in their arms; her fingers dug sharply into North’s arms where she gripped at him, and Pitch suspected that they may very well snap off if the Guardian pulled away. “This is more than just from the temperature outside.” He noted, tone icy.

“Jack didn’t mean anything by it, Pitch!” Tooth interjected, darting forward and earning herself a snarl from Pitch and Natt both. “They were playing tag up in the rafters, and he didn’t know-”

“We’re getting her warm anyways, mate.” Bunny said gruffly, curling up better around the wisp. “She’ll be right as rain in a few hours.”

“Cocoa will help!” North declared matter of factly, and even Jack gave him an incredulous look.

Natt moved to kneel on the floor before the couch, taking Willow’s hand carefully and letting his sand rub gently over the cold fingers, urging the mist to move and flex without breaking. “Come on, wispling. Going to let the frostbite beat you?”

“We could move her by the fire?” Tooth asked, fluttering her wings anxiously as she looked for ways to soothe Pitch. “It’ll warm her up faster than their body heat alone.”

“Doing so would risk killing her.” Pitch returned sharply, fury spiking in his tone. “Ice can thaw easier than evaporated water can recondense, especially when she’s already weak and disorientated. Let go of her, Pooka; Natt can take her place.”

“Your apprentice isn’t as warm, ya’drongo.” Aster grumbled even as he stood up. “Get over here, then, before she gets colder.” The Pooka all but shoved Natt down onto the couch; North, more patient (and more worried), helped ease Willow into Natt’s lap, tucking more blankets around the wisp.

“Natt?” Willow asked drowsily almost an hour later when she finally stirred. “I forgot my jacket.”

“I noticed.” He chuckled, trying not to sound too relieved. “You’re warm now, thuogh. Safe. We’ve got you.”


End file.
